


Happy New Year

by Newtmassangster



Series: From the moment you ran into the maze I knew i would follow you anywhere (Newtmas One-Shots) [4]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Ballet dancer Thomas, Dancing, Friends AU, Friends to Lovers, Friends tv show vibe, M/M, New Year's Eve, Newt (Maze Runner) Has a Crush, Newt used to like Gally, Roommates, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 02:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14967362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newtmassangster/pseuds/Newtmassangster
Summary: Newt and Thomas, even though strangers, decide to move in together in the middle of Manhattan. Thomas is a dancer who has just quit NYCB and Newt studies at University. Thomas will learn to know about Newt's friends, while Newt struggles with trusting love after his previous disastrous crushes. All will be solved at the New Year Party, for better or worse...





	Happy New Year

Thomas was a professional dancer in look for a job. He had just ended his two-year-long contract with NCYB (New-York City Ballet) and was now going from bit player on a crappy movie to substitute in important shows. Sure, he could have chosen to enrol at the Ballet for another two years, along with his long-time friend Minho, but he was enjoying the freedom and spontaneity of being jobless. After two years at the Ballet, his every move being orchestrated by the Institution’s manager, he was just glad he could now pick whatever choreography he wanted to pick, have time for himself, eat and go out whenever it pleased him. The only downside of it was that during his time at the NYCB, the Institution provided him with an apartment to share with one of his fellow dancer, and now that he left, he had to find somewhere else to live. At first, he had continued living with Minho, but a week ago, the Asian had been told that the supposedly empty room was to be occupied by a new recruit. So now Thomas had fifteen days to find somewhere to crash, or he would end up on the streets.

Minho had just helped him draw a list of potential apartments he could visit, all of which he would have to share with at least one person, and were located within Manhattan, where he would be the closest to Broadway, and everyone knew that no dancer could have a carrier without either the Ballet or Broadway. At least that was what his aunt used to tell him, back when he was still a kid and she brought him with her on her performances. He didn’t actually believe in it anymore, but since he needed a criterion to underpin his choice, then why not choose Broadway?

 

By four in the afternoon, he had already been through the first half of his list and was far from finding his own Safe Haven between the eight flats he’d visited. Of course, Minho had to be at the Ballet all day long for important repetitions, so he was left alone to face an 80 years-old lady with a very vicious cat who wanted him to do all the chores in the apartment in exchange for her to pay 10 percent more of the rent (he still had had to take the bins down, even after refusing the apartment loud and clear), a group of students whose flat was absolutely disgusting and reeked pot, even a guy who told him right away that he was part of the nudist community and expected Thomas to join sooner or later. Either the place was wonderful, but then the rent would be far too expensive for a broke and unemployed dancer, or the apartment could be good, but the occupant was from another planet. There was no miracle, finding a decent apartment in New-York City was a nightmare.

Dramatically sighing, Thomas crossed the last offer on his list – some business man who was offering him a potentially health-damaging, eight meters squared room that Thomas was pretty sure didn’t even meet the legal requirements to rent, all of it for 4000$ a month. He was about to go back to his soon-to-be-ex apartment and whine about his day to his best friend, when the sight of a coffee shop across the street suddenly caught his attention. Over a large window was a sign in funny red and green letters, with two cups by the side. Thomas was in the middle of Greenwich village, so there was no way the prices could have been as welcoming as the façade, and he was broke, that was a fact, but he really needed something – _anything_ – to cheer him up after such an awful day. Without a second thought, he crossed the street and entered the shop. And looking back at it now, he was thankful he ever did so.

 

The place was warm and comfy, very welcoming. In the middle of the room, a group of friends were chatting loudly on a couch and a few armchairs. A guy with white blond hair and a seriously creepy aura was moving around, picking everyone’s order. Due to the hour, the place was pretty crowded, but Thomas managed to find himself a seat by the counter, not too far from the middle of the room. He ordered the cheapest coffee he could find on the list, which was still pretty expensive to him, and waited for a bit. He could hear the group of friends behind him bantering with each other and turned to look at them. There was a girl with raven hair and icy blue eyes, who radiated intelligence and authority, next to her was another girl with honey skin and brown hair. Sitting on the floor in front of them, with a guitar in her lap, was a shorter girl with dirty blonde hair and pale skin. On the two armchairs around the table were two guys, one of them with dark skin and a toothy white smile, when the other seemed to be extraordinary tall and had weirdly shaped eyebrows. The chemistry between the five was making even Thomas a bit jealous, they went from bantering to laughing to making fun of each other within seconds. Just as the brunet was about to leave, his – expensive – drink in hand, someone else entered the shop. It was a boy with dirty blond hair, who looked a bit like the girl with the guitar, although he was taller and leaner. He plumped down on the couch next to her and Thomas could _feel_ the tiredness in the man’s movements.

“I need a roommate” the man sighed as he turned to properly look at his friends. “Is that too much to ask? I’ve had _ten_ visits today and not one of them was somewhat decent!”

“Look, Newt,” The blonde girl interrupted from the floor. “You’ve been looking for, what? Three months now? Can’t you just give up and live on your own now?”

“It’s not like I can afford an apartment in Manhattan on my own, Sonya. Honestly, if I have to go on for another two months without anyone, it’ll be a better fit for me to move.” At this, they all looked at him in pure horror, as if he had just offered to give himself in sacrifice to some metallic giant spider instead.

“You can’t just leave like that!” The honey-skinned girl exclaimed.

“I’ve lived in that apartment too, it wasn’t _that_ expensive, really.” The tall guy said at the same time.

That’s when Thomas realized he was standing in the middle of the room, his coffee still in his grasp and ready to leave, but had stopped just behind the group’s couch, while very unsubtly listening on on their conversation. He blushed at the realization and was just about to finally make his way through the door when someone bumped into him. It was the blond waiter, whose name tag read “Gunther”. The man must have been quite professional, because he didn’t let a single drop spill out of the two cups he was holding, despite the intense glare he gave Thomas. Instead, he complained loudly about stupid strangers standing in the hallway for no reason, then turned away, still murmuring under his breath. This unfortunately caught the attention of half of the coffee shop, including the group on the couch, making Thomas’s blush widen and swear under his breath that it would be the last time he ever let his feet take him anywhere near Greenwich Village.

The six on the couch were looking at him expectantly as he realized he had been staring at them the whole time, blushing, and still holding his coffee. The blond boy’s glare was the most intense, and Thomas felt the urge to squirm under it. After a few seconds of awkward silence, someone finally spoke up. Unfortunately, it came from the giant guy with weird eyebrows, who apparently was not a friendly person _at all_.

“You seeing something interesting, here, greenie?” he asked in a harsh tone, clearly looking for a fight.

“What did you just call me?” Thomas asked, surprised at the choice of words. _Why do fancy people always feel the need to come up with their own vocabulary, seriously?_ Unfortunately, the tiredness of is tone made it sound like he was angry as well, and that was just enough for the guy in front of him to snap. The tall man got up and took two large steps towards Thomas, until the dark-skinned boy put a hand on his thigh to stop him.

“Gally,” he said in a comforting, yet slightly annoyed voice. “Sit down.”

The guy looked at his friend, gave a last glare in Thomas’ direction before eventually sitting down, and the dark-skinned boy put his arms around him. _Probably more than just “friend” then._

Meanwhile, Thomas’ eyes had widened at Gally’s outburst, internally cursing for putting himself in such a stupid situation, just because he had to let his ears drop everywhere. The four others were still looking at him, either curious or annoyed by his intruding. The raven-haired girl was starting to glare at him, and she didn’t look like the kind of person to mess up with, so Thomas quickly came back to his senses, thinking of a decent answer. Suddenly, something the blond had said when he entered the shop came back to him, and he knew what to say.

“I… huh… well I heard you talk about a room to rent, right?” he looked directly at the blond, cursing at himself for stuttering.

“Yeah, I’m looking for a roommate, know someone who might be interested?” he answered, straightening his posture on the couch, with the expression of someone that has just been asked to do extra hours.

“Actually, yes.” Thomas regained confidence. The boy might look extremely bored with it, but that might be his only chance to find somewhere to live, and he would _not_ let it pass. He went to sit on the cough next to him, jumping over its back. The raven-girl gave him an annoyed look as she moved to let him sit. “I am also looking for a roommate. Except I don’t have an apartment. Yet.”

The blond looked at him wearily, examining his whole appearance, from his leather brown shoes to his very professional blazer. Thomas was thankful for Minho to make him dress properly on the morning. Suddenly, he shot his hand forward, looking at the brunet expectantly, and Thomas took the long and warm fingers in his own once he realized the blond wanted to shake his hand.

“Hi, I’m Newt. I have a feeling we’ll get along pretty well. Let’s make a deal.” He smirked, and Thomas realized that if the boy was only half as desperate as he himself was, then, _yes,_ they would find an interesting deal.

 

And they did find a deal. A week later, Newt was cleaning the last square of floor on the extra room in his apartment, making it ready for its new occupant. Just as he was closing the door, Teresa and his sister Sonya went barging through his door. Teresa lived just next door with her roommate Harriet, and they all spent countless time in each other’s apartments. Sonya was also all the time in one place or the other, even if she lived in another apartment complex, ten minutes from theirs.

“So? All ready for your new roomie?” she asked him excitedly.

“Teresa,” he sighed. “It’s not because he’s a guy and I’m gay that I will automatically want to jump him. Some of us actually have dignity, you know? He might not even be into boys, for all I know.”

“Oh, so if he’s not, then that means I can try? He _is_ quite cute, don’t you think?” Sonya chimed in.

“I know!” Teresa then exclaimed. “Have you seen his legs? He’s so fit!”

Newt sat down at the counter with them, interrupting their _lovely_ conversation about Thomas’ looks.

“Yeah right, well as much as I love to hear your own opinions on boys, I have to get this place ready, so if you wouldn’t mind leaving me to it, please?”

“Aww, little Newt is nervous about a new guy moving in with him, isn’t he?” Teresa teased him, grabbing his cheeks for more effect.

“Hey! Maybe this time he might even like you back, who knows?” Sonya added, and he only glared at her before sending them back to their place.

Sure, he was _over_ Gally, but that still hurt. He and Newt had lived together in this very apartment for years, and the blond couldn’t even remember a time when he wasn’t crushing on his roommate. Sadly, Gally had never liked him back, and Newt had had to keep it to himself the whole time, even when he started dating Frypan, Newt’s old friend from College, and an important part of their group as well. Now that Frypan and Gally had decided to move in together, their place just on the other side of the street, Newt felt incredibly lonely and desperate for some company, _other_ than the girls, who could be bloody annoying sometimes.

However, Newt wasn’t stupid, far from that. And he knew he wouldn’t fall in love with his roommate _again_ , that had been stupid enough the first time, he wasn’t ready to go through the same feelings all over again. No, this time, Newt would fall in love with the right person, that he would meet at a bar or the coffee shop, like everyone else, and that someone would actually return his feelings for once.

It wasn’t even like there was any chance he would fall for this Thomas guy anyway. The guy was a _dancer_ and without any money on his bank account. He was just lucky Newt was critically in need for someone to share the apartment with him, else he would have never taken him in. On top of that, he seemed insufferably full of himself, and of his own beauty and charm. Not that Newt noticed it right away, _not at all_ , but it was just an obvious feature that needed to be stated. After all, brunets were not his type. At all.

Thomas had said he planned on moving in today, but didn’t specify the time, so Newt figured he would just grab a book waiting for him, so he could show him everything one last time, then leave him be for the end of the day. He didn’t feel like spending too much time with the newbie anyway, he didn’t have time for that.

After a few hours, the front door finally opened to reveal a buffy Asian man carrying a heavy card box inside the place.

“Hi there, Newtie, wanna help with the boxes?” he greeted the blond as he walked further into the leaving-room.

Newt’s eyes widened at the nickname “N-Newtie?”

“Yeah. I thought Thomas said your name was Newt. Quite easy to remember, I mean, who names their child like a lizard? You British are seriously weird!”

Newt was about to snap at the Asian, annoyed at his rudeness. _Who comes barging into someone’s leaving-room, only to insult them and show off their sass and perfect hair?_ He thought, but didn’t have time to reply because suddenly, the door opened again, and he was cut off in his rant by a panting Thomas.

“Huh, Min’? Could we hurry up, please? It’s starting to rain, and those boxes aren’t exactly waterproof…” he had a panicked look on his face, like a scared puppy, and Newt couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“I’ll help you too, don’t worry. It’s only a drizzle, it’s not supposed to rain heavily today.”

“Yes, I always forget that you British are _experts_ on that kinds of things!” Minho chimed in as he went back outside.

“Who the bloody hell _are_ you anyway??”

 

Thomas had been living at Newt’s apartment for a week now, and Newt couldn’t really complain about anything he had done so far. In fact, it was hard to say that Thomas was living there at all, except for a few small details, like the steamed-up mirror in the bathroom he would find in the morning, or the groceries filling the fridge just as he was about to go to the supermarket by himself. But otherwise, they seemed to have completely different schedules. Newt worked at a bookshop a few streets down, so he was out for most of the day, spending his lunch break at the coffee house with his group of friends. He was still graduating from history school, but didn’t have to attend any classes this year, only to write his graduating dissertation. When he came back to the flat, eventually, Thomas was nowhere to be seen. He would only hear him back a bit later, as he was about to go to sleep. _Guess having a roommate can be easy, then._

Now that the week-end had come, Newt hoped to see the brunet more often, if only to thank him for the groceries. He didn’t have to work on the weekend, which left him with more time at the apartment, and surely whatever Thomas spent his days doing couldn’t go on the whole week without a break.

Sonya, Teresa, Frypan and Newt were downstairs at their usual café, just chatting, as they did every weekend, and most of the days of the week. This was Newt’s favourite way to spend his weekends, just being lazy with his friends, his hands wrapped around a mocha, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I _am_ telling you, this is not a normal gesture! Nobody puts their hands on their stomach for no reason!” Sonya continued gossiping about her co-worker, who she assumed was pregnant, while Teresa kept listening to her religiously. Newt was thankful for Teresa to be around because he himself would never have been able to keep up with Sonya’s constant gossiping. He had stopped listening a while ago and was not planning on turning back to the conversation any time soon.

“God, Sonya, is there _anything_ that you might not know about the people you work with?” she was interrupted loudly by Gally entering the shop. He went to sit on Frypan’s lap, giving him a quick peck on the lips while they looked at each other fondly. There would have been a time when such a simple gesture would have bothered Newt to no end and hurt him more than anything. But not anymore. Looking at them now, Newt just realized that he and Gally together had just been a fantasy he had spent so much time dreaming about that he never realized how unrealistic it sounded. The man turned to him and Newt just smiled at him, honest this time. He was truly happy that his friends had found each other.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Thomas ran inside the shop, frantically looking around. His eyes finally landed on Newt and he let a relieved sigh out.

“Newt! The concierge told me I would find you there!” he exclaimed, not caring that everyone had their eyes on him. “Could you maybe let me in the apartment? I went out this morning and I forgot my key, I’m so sorry.”

Newt rolled his eyes at the boy’s lunacy but nodded gently. “Sure, Just wait one second, I –“

He was rudely cut off by his charming sister, who pushed Teresa out of the couch and got up to throw her arm around Thomas’ shoulder.

“No, _Tommy_ , just stay a bit with us, won’t you. We would _all_ love to get to know you better, wouldn’t we?” she gave a warning glare to everyone around the table, and they all knew better that to go against Sonya’s wish when she began flirting. Even Gally gave a small and unhappy nod. Thomas had no other choice but to sit down on the couch, _very close_ to Sonya, looking extremely uncomfortable. Newt felt sorry for the guy, Sonya could really be a pain when she wanted to.

“Tommy?” he chuckled, amused by his sister’s odd addiction for nicknames.

“Yes, _Tommy_ ,” she insisted. She then turned to the brunet, her arm still around his shoulders and playing with some of his hair. “You don’t like it?” she pouted.

“Huh, no, yeah… alright. Call me whatever you want, I guess.” Thomas stuttered, and Newt couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he sounded, all embarrassed and uncomfortable in Sonya’s arm. He then frowned when he realized what he had been thinking. _You cannot have another crush on your roommate, for god’s sake!_

He cleared his throat, realizing he had been staring a little too long at the brunet, and that Gally had most certainly noticed, quirking his eyebrows at him.

“So, Thomas, how do you find it, living with Newt?” Teresa finally asked, when the uncomfortable silence had become unbearable.

“You’re allowed to say my brother is a pain in the arse, you know, it’s not like we’d be surprised.” Sonya whispered in his hear, although Newt had heard her perfectly fine.

“Sonya!”

“What?” she smirked in his direction, holding Thomas a little bit tighter.

“Well,” Thomas finally answered, moving just a little bit from Sonya’s embrace. “The apartment is nice, but I don’t really see Newt often to be honest. Somehow, he’s never here when I’m around. It’s a bit like I’m living alone.”

“I work at a bookshop down the street, so I’m away most of the day. The real mystery is what are _you_ doing out so late at night!”

“Are you meeting your mystery girlfriend or something?” Sonya chimed in, fluttering her eyelashes.

Thomas gave her an awkward look that she didn’t seem to catch on before answering. “Yeah… Uh, no, not really.” He stuttered, clearly embarrassed. _He is SO into me, oh my god!_ Sonya mouthed in Teresa’s direction, making the raven-haired girl burst out in laughter at Sonya’s blindness, along with Frypan and Gally.

“I actually help a friend at a dance studio, she wants to become a professional, so I give her tips. I also help in some lessons, I don’t do that much, but it’s late.” Thomas finally answered, looking at Newt.

“OH MY GOD!!!” Sonya shrieked in his hear, making the whole shop look at them. “You’re a _dancer_??? That’s, like, so hot! I can’t believe this!” Thomas could only give her an awkward smirk while Teresa and Harriet rolled their eyes at their friend.

“Whatever, Sonya.” Newt finally interrupted, putting his empty cup on the coffee table before them. “I think I’m gonna head up, now.” He gave his sister a pointed look before getting up. “You’re coming, _Tommy_?” he added, just to annoy her with the nickname. Although he had to admit the nickname suited the brunet pretty well.

Thomas got up as well, finally leaving Sonya’s grip and looking quite relieved. He waved at the group and gave the blonde girl a final smile, before following her brother up to their shared apartment.

“I’m sorry if my friends can be a little loud, sometimes.” The blonde apologized as they arrived in front of their door. “I guess next time you won’t forget your key, right?” he chuckled, getting the door open,

“Nah, I don’t mind getting myself a cup of coffee from time to time.” The brunet chuckled, as they walked inside. “Although that place is seriously expensive! How can you afford that every day with just working at a bookshop?”

“We have relations.” Newt answered, to which the brunet rolled his eyes.

“By the way,” Thomas added after a few seconds of silence, “should I just tell your sister that I’m gay?”

Newt burst out in laughter at the revelation, thinking about Sonya’s face when she would hear the news. He sure as hell wanted to be there when she would realize how stupid she had looked flirting with Thomas so obviously. But he just shook his head, a little bit of compassion coming back to him. “I’ll just tell her, it’s probably better. Save her the humiliation, you know?”

 

Thomas had been living at Newt’s apartment for a month now and Newt was finding it harder and harder not to grow too attached to the brunet. Thomas came down to have a coffee from time to time, so they were seeing each more often by now. Brenda had also moved her lesson to the beginning of the afternoon, so they could then spend the end of the day together. Although Newt tried to spend the most of it in his room or in the girl’s apartment because he was seriously afraid that if he spent another five seconds looking at Thomas’ perfect features he might melt and ask for his hand right there. Why did his love life had to be so complicated all the time? Was it too much to ask for a nice and simple love story that didn’t involve anyone he had to live 24/7 with? Anyone that could at least return his feelings?

One afternoon, Newt, Sonya and Teresa were having coffee – how original – while the others were out for work and Thomas was somewhere off with Minho.

“It’s not fair!” Newt complained for the thousandth time that day. “I innocently get out of my room one morning and here he is! Stretching in the middle of the living room or doing his dancing exercises because there’s not enough room in his room or something! I can’t stand it, he’s right there, showing off his muscles and skin and … aaargh! Is it my fault that there is more room in the living room that in his own _private_ room? Why do I have to pay the consequences, huh?”

Teresa was giving him a funny look while Sonya looked upset. She was apparently still bothered by the fact that Thomas was hot yet somehow not attracted to her.

“Remind me again why you won’t make any moves?” Teresa finally asked when Newt gave another very loud sigh.

“See how it went with Gally? I don’t want another one of my disastrous love stories!”

“But you never said anything to Gally until he told you he was moving out with Fry! You just never try until it’s too late, Newt!”

“Maybe, but it’s also common sense that you should just _not_ get involved with your flatmate under any circumstances.” Both girls sent him a confused look. “Look, what if I tell him I have a crush on him and he obviously doesn’t, then it all becomes insanely awkward until he moves out?”

“Oh, so now you’re worried you might not witness his morning workout anymore?” Sonya asked half teasingly, half bitterly.

“Yes! Wait, no. Huh, it’s complicated alright? Like, what if he does _think_ he has a crush on me too for some reason, so we get together and then it was obviously fake, so we break up? But we’re still _living_ together! How awful is it to live in the same apartment as your ex?”

None of the girls had an answer to that, so he just sighed again. “Why am I not able to fall for regular people that I would meet regularly?”

“Yeah, everything would have been so much easier if Thomas had been into girls, wouldn’t it?” Sonya chimed in, receiving a glare from her brother and a laugh from her roommate. “Don’t worry, little Newtie, I’m totally over your dancing angel! I’m not going to spend so much time drooling over someone who cannot even appreciate what he’s losing on!”

“Sonya, the guy is _gay_.” Teresa rolled her eyes. On point, the door opened, and Thomas and his friend Minho entered the shop. The three of them looked over and both siblings had a longing look in their eyes, although Sonya’s was more upset.

“God, I forgot how hot he was!” she added, planting her face in Teresa’s shoulder in exasperation.

Newt eyed Thomas and his friend as they went to the counter to give their order. There was no denying it, the boy was absolutely gorgeous, and Newt couldn’t stop admiring every single gesture he did, even as small as ordering a cup of coffee. Suddenly, the brunet laughed at something Minho had said and Newt’s eyes wide opened. The sound was absolutely angelic, he wouldn’t mind spending hours listening to it. If only he could be the one making Thomas laugh, though.

The two boys went to join Newt and the girls on the couch, and Thomas sat right next to Newt, their shoulders touching. The blond was finding it very hard to breathe suddenly.

“So, how was your afternoon, guys?” Teresa asked, smiling sweetly at the Minho.

“It was alright, we met some British guy at the park, though.” Thomas answered, sipping on his coffee.

“Ah, right. You should have come with us, Newt!” Minho added, turning to the Brit. “Totally needed someone to translate that weird dialect you guys use as a language.”

The blond only rolled his eyes. One thing was for sure, he would never get used, or learn appreciate the Asian’s bad jokes about England.

“At least, the British accent is sexy.” Thomas’ words made Newt all warm inside. Not only did the brunet come to his defence, but he indirectly called him sexy. The blonde had to restrain himself from squealing. _It’s just a crush_ , he thought, _just a tiny, little stupid crush. It’ll fade away soon._

 

It didn’t. Thomas had been living at Newt’s apartment for two months now and the crush didn’t exactly fade away, far from that actually. It was almost New Year’s Eve, meaning they had already spent Christmas together, which hard enough for Newt.

_He woke up on the 25 th of December, ready to walk to the girl’s apartment next door, as he did every year. But when he opened the door, he was met by the sight of Thomas, still in his PJ’s (that on its own had been enough to have Newt drooling) and wearing a Christmas hat on his messy brown hair._

_“Merry Christmas, Newtie!” he smiled, holding a wrapped-up blue box before the blonde’s sleepy figure. “I know we’re not spending the day together because I’m at Minho’s, but I thought it would be nice to get you something anyway, you’re always so nice to me!”_

_“Thanks, Tommy.” Newt was finally able to utter, coming back from his surprise at the angelic sight. He took the present and went to sit on the couch, near the fake Christmas Tree they had set up together, at Thomas’ constant demand._

_“You could have opened it just there, you know.”_

_“So then what is your_ fabulous _tree for?” the blonde laughed, but then gasped when he saw what was under the wrapping paper. It was a copy of a book that he had been eyeing for the whole year, a treaty on the Cold War, accompanied with pictures and previously unpublished texts and testimonies. Newt knew for a fact that the book had cost a fortune, especially for someone who was just a dancer and (still)  looking for a job. Why would Thomas even go to the trouble of buying him the perfect gift?_

_“Do you like it?” the brunet asked him, a hesitant look on his face._

_“Why wouldn’t I? It’s the best gift ever, how did you know I wanted that, do you read my mind or something? Don’t answer that, open my gift instead.” He handed him a small envelope._

_Thomas’ eyebrows shot up in surprise, as if he wasn’t expecting Newt to offer him something, but he kept his mouth shut and opened the envelope anyway. Inside was a ticket to a show on New Year’s Eve that he had always wanted to be a part of. Since he was a child, it was a tradition for him to watch the dancers perform on TV, until the midnight countdown and they all kissed and cheered on Times Square, while he would cheer and dance on his own in front of his TV. How did Newt even know about that?_

_“I heard Minho tease you about it, I thought you two might want to be in there maybe?” The blonde explained, as if_ he _had been reading his mind._

_“Thanks Newt.” The brunet answered simply, before taking Newt into a huge warm hug that sent a rush of blood to the blonde’s cheeks._

_“But Minho would certainly not come with me to this,” he added as they broke apart. “He absolutely hates it. He thinks it’s the lamest thing he’s ever witnessed in his whole life.”_

_“But you’re supposed to go with someone, that’s a ‘plus one’ ticket.” Newt frowned. “Couldn’t you ask some of your friends from the NYCB, maybe? What about that Aris guy you’re always talking about?”_

_“Yes, well…” Thomas started scratching the back of his neck. “Truth is, I don’t really want to spend it with them. Would you… W-Would you want to go with me instead?” he asked in a very small voice._

_“I don’t dance.” Newt deadpanned, eyebrows furrowing even deeper, betraying his extreme confusion and nervousness. He just couldn’t understand why Thomas would ask_ him _, his awkward non-dancer roommate to come to a dancing show he had always dreamed about for New Year’s Eve. It didn’t make sense. Yet Thomas looked a bit hurt at the comment._

_“I know, but just, come with me, you know? You don’t have to be a professional really, just move a bit. I only want to see a friendly face, so that it felt less like work, you know?” Thomas chuckled, felling more and more self-conscious, until Newt finally went back from his stupor and gave him a small smile._

_“Yeah, okay, Tommy. I guess I’ll spend New Year’s Eve with you, then.” He wasn’t so convinced himself, too afraid at the idea of dancing in front of his (big) crush and making a fool out of himself. But suddenly he was wrapped in a pair of strong arms and pressed against Thomas’ chest, and everything felt just a little bit easier. That night also meant spending some alone time with Tommy outside of the apartment on New Year’s Eve, after all._

_After they parted ways, smiling widely at each other, Newt finally crossed the hall to the girl’s apartment, still in a daze. He closed the door brutally then leaned into it, looking as if he had just seen a ghost. “I think Tommy just asked me on a bloody date.” He managed to say before sinking on the floor, surrounded by his friend’s excited shrieks._

 

It was now December 31st and Newt was supposed to meet Thomas in the living room in half an hour. Trying his best – and failing – not to get too nervous, his fingers were trembling as they buttoned his shirt up. He cursed as his phone rang at the same time his button slipped from his sweating hands for the hundredth time. He reached to unlock it and looked at the text his sister had just sent him.

**_Sun: Good luck on your date (well Teresa says it’s not a date, but I totally disagree with her on that one)._ **

**_Sun: Don’t beat yourself too much over it, it’s gonna be just fiiiine! And don’t button your shirt too high! Also, because I’m the best sister and I know you’re so stressed right now, here’s a picture of Teresa and Harriet getting ready for the party, hope it’ll cheer you up! Love you, big bro. Have fuuuun!_ **

**_Sun: If that guy can’t resist your cute little British ass, then I guess there’s nothing we can do. He already can’t resist me so that makes him a lost cause. This is his last chance, I’m telling you._ **

Newt smiled at the three texts. Sonya must have been _at least_ tipsy while writing that. He would definitely tease her to no end for mentioning his “cute little British ass”. And the picture was worth it. The girls _did_ look stupid, wearing half their outfits and half sweatpants, while doing each other’s nails. He reached for his shirt to unbutton the top, just like Sonya had suggested, and took a deep breath. Sonya might be extremely annoying, but she did know him well and cared for him, so her text, however stupid it sounded, still made him relax.

He looked himself in the mirror one last time. Thomas had said to wear something “smart and casual”, which had led to Newt complaining about those kinds of empty expressions that meant absolutely nothing. After an hour of his ramblings, Thomas had finally dragged him to his own bedroom, and picked an outfit for him. Apparently “smart casual” meant jeans and a button-up shirt, which wasn’t too hard to find in Newt’s wardrobe. The blonde smiled at the memory, as he finally opened his door and stepped in the living room, where the brunet was waiting for him, watching TV.

“Wow, Newt! You look _hot_.” Thomas turned to him, then put a hand over his mouth, visibly regretting his words. “I mean, you look… good. Fine. I like it. I like… _Please_ Stop me before I say something even more stupid.” He was blushing furiously at this point, but Newt only laughed at his awkwardness.

“Thanks, Tommy. You don’t look so bad yourself, although you shouldn’t act so surprised since you were the one to pick my clothes.” The blonde hoped that Thomas had not forgotten the afternoon they had spent together trying on outfits in Newt’s bedroom. Thomas didn’t answer but took his hand to drag him outside.

It was still early in the afternoon, but the show was not live transmitted, so they would still have time to join the others at another party afterwards. They found themselves in a big studio, with at least a hundred other extras and huge speakers. A man, seemingly chief operator of the show, told them about their roles for the night. He definitely looked like a rat. Newt was getting more and more nervous beside Thomas, but the brunet turned to him and lightly touched his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

“Alright, so we just need footage of people happily dancing on a stage, so that’s what you guys will have to do for another hour or so. Don’t pay attention to the camera men walking around and follow their remarks please. Otherwise, you can just move as you want to the music until we tell you to stop, is that clear?”

“So, all we have to do is… dance?” Newt asked, dumfounded. Everyone turned to him, silently laughing at his stupidity for not knowing beforehand what he was supposed to do. Thomas, however, had a fond smile on his lips.

“That’s right, genius. You just dance. Do you need me to show how that’s done or will you be able to figure it out for yourself?”

Newt just ignored the man’s sarcasm as Thomas dragged them to their assigned positions on the stage. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. This was actually going to be nice, all he had to do was move around a bit, not get too carried on as to not make a fool of himself in front of Thomas, but that should be easy. He would just dance, with Thomas, for hours. He had spent worse afternoons than that.

“So, what music do you listen to? Do you only listen to British bands? Do you know every song from The Beatles by heart?” Thomas asked playfully, as the blonde rolled his eyes at the cliché.

“You spend too much time with Minho.”

 

The music finally played on, and everyone started moving in rhythm. In front of Newt, Thomas was moving his hips and arms in perfect harmony, showing off his muscular body without even trying, and all the blonde could do was watch, fascinated. The boy was a true piece of art and Newt painfully realized that there was no way he could ever get over this crush after what was displayed in front of his eyes. After a few more minutes, however, Thomas noticed how Newt was standing completely still and went to grab his hand.

“So you actually _don’t_ know how it’s done? Rat Man was right?” Thomas whispered playfully to his ear, holding the brit close to his chest. He swung their bodies in rhythm, Newt trying very hard to remember how to breathe. Their faces were very close, their hips, and arms touching, while Thomas was staring directly into the blonde’s eyes. Newt couldn’t even answer as they continued to move. Soon, Thomas got absorbed by the music, he closed his eyes but tightened his grip on the boy in his arms, keeping up with his moves.

Newt tried to relax, but he was too stressed with being in his crush’s arms and being able to smell his perfume and feel his hands on his back. He was trying hard not to step on Thomas’ feet and move in rhythm at the same time, which happened to be a tougher task than he would have thought. He silently cursed and bit his lip because he wasn’t usually such a bad dancer, when Thomas suddenly opened his eyes.

“Relax, blondie. You’re not passing an audition, you know?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Newt blushed. He felt stupid, so tense in Thomas’ arms, which the boy had most certainly sensed. Why couldn’t he just dance casually without messing everything up? He looked at the floor as the brunet pushed him out of his arms. But he put one hand on his shoulder, while the other one went down his chin, forcing the blonde to look up.

“Hey, Newt, what’s wrong? I thought we were supposed to have fun?” Thomas’ brown eyes were shining under the projector’s lights, distracting the blond. Newt wanted nothing more than to lose himself in these dark orbs, forget about all his nervousness and feelings, his past disastrous crushes, and fears of consequences. But he eventually had to answer, as the look in those eyes grew more and more concerned.

“I’m sorry, Tommy, I’m just… You should go have fun with people who actually know how to dance. I’m just keeping you from actually dancing because you’re just baby-sitting me at this point…”

“Bullshit!” the brunet interrupted him. “I asked _you_ to come here, and I know tons of guys who are professional dancers! You think anyone here cares about our dance skills seriously? We’ll just appear what? Five seconds on camera? And that’s if we even appear at all. Seriously, Newt, you’re not even bad, you’re just so stressed.”

Thomas’ words slowly made their way to Newt’s brain, and as he processed them, he realized how much the brunet was right. He was just overreacting this whole situation. He could see Sonya roll her eyes from here already. Looking up, he smiled widely at Thomas. If he had another two hours to spend here, he might as well have fun with his roommate.

The brunet smiled even more at him and took his hand once again. “Alright, I’ll teach you.” He then said, turning Newt around, placing is hands on the blonde’s hips. “Just relax, let me guide you.”

He kept on giving Newt instructions on his actions, moving his hands all over the Brit’s body, his hot breath on his neck. Newt felt as if he was about to pass out any second now, but he played on, following Thomas’ own advice, and leaned in the touch, smiling at the brunet’s compliments. They kept on dancing like this for another half an hour, until Newt was about to explode, and he excused himself to the bathroom.

 

 

Standing before the sink, he took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. He was a blushing mess. Even this far from Thomas’ arms, he could still feel his touch and the memory made his heart beat much too fast. He checked his phone to see that Sonya had sent him another text.

**_Sun: I hope everything is going well bro, I miss you! Gally and Fry are eating each other’s faces in a corner and Teresa and Harriet keep eating everything that I have prepared for tonight’s dinner. I’m trying to keep you both some but it’s hard. They’re vultures. I bet you 20 dollars that we’ll just end up at McDonald’s before the party like we do every year._ **

Newt smiled at the memory. Teresa and Harriet couldn’t resist Sonya’s cooking and he would usually join them to finish everything before dinner even officially started. Picturing his friends in their familiar environment, doing what they usually do calmed him down a bit. He still had them, they would always be there for him and that was what mattered the most in the end. He was about to put his phone back in his pocket when he received another text, still from Sonya.

**_Sun: stop overthinking it and calm down. I can picture you all sweaty and as red as a tomato. Calm down, there’s nothing you should be afraid about, especially not Thomas. You have every chance to get him if you do it right, so stop being so nervous and act naturally. You’re always overthinking everything and you never take your opportunities when they’re right in front of your eyes. AND PLEASE HAVE FUN!_ **

**_Sun: I need to go, Gaypan joined the girls, they’re full-on robbing my kitchen. I need to protect my food. Everything is going to be fine, I love you, lizard._ **

 

Newt took a deep breath, looking at his reflexion once more. Did he actually have a chance with Thomas? The guy was hot _and_ cute, smart, easy-going, when he was just… Newt. Lizard boy. Lanky awkward Newt who couldn’t even dance for one hour without looking like a freak. _Stop being so afraid of Thomas,_ Sonya had said. Was he afraid of Tommy? More like he was afraid of himself when he was with Tommy, and of Thomas’ reactions to his stupidity. He sighed again. He should really stop thinking his every crush would end up in disaster. Tommy was everything he ever wanted or needed in his life, and he could not let his trust issues and insecurities mess up with this. Tommy was too important. He splashed some water on his face as he took his final decision. Tonight was the night, he would make his move, he would take his opportunity. Either Thomas liked him back or this was it. _Tonight was the night._

 

 

But when he came back, Thomas was laughing with another man, both standing very close to one another. He approached them warily, noticing how attractive the other guy was and the spark in Thomas’ eyes as they kept talking.

“Newt!” Thomas grabbed the man’s arm and turned to him. “This is Sean! We were together at the NYCB, but he quit as well apparently. I didn’t even know he would be there!”

Newt noticed how big Thomas’ smile was and how he didn’t let go of the other man’s arm as he talked. He also noticed the looks Sean was giving the brunet. As if Thomas was the most beautiful flower in a garden and he should never let go of him. Newt’s heart shattered as he took in the picture in front of him. They fitted so well together: same height, same messy dark hair, although Thomas’ were a little longer, same extremely fit body, same interests, obviously. They looked perfect for each other. And apparently Newt wasn’t the only one to think so because before he could say anything, the manager – or Rat Man, as Thomas had called him – went to their side and looked at them for a second.

“You two” he said, pointing at Sean and Thomas, “go dance together, show me something dynamic, beautiful, you look great together!” He then turned to Newt, a frown on his face. “You… can just go dance with that girl over there.”

Newt turned to look at a red head girl, in her 20s, who looked absolutely lost. As he observed how she radiated boredom, dancing half-heartedly in a corner on her own, he missed the disappointed look that appeared on Thomas’ eyes. But he turned in time to watch Sean drag him away, a wide grin on his face, looking like he had just won the lottery. _So much for it being the big night_ , he thought as he walked towards his new date.

 

 

The girl was as awkward as she seemed, she barely even whispered “hi” to him as he approached her. They danced – or rather moved –  to the rhythm, none of them really into it, for half an hour.

“You should go and fight for him.” The girl suddenly whispered, looking into the blonde’s eyes for the first time since they met.

“What do you mean?”

“I see how you can’t take your eyes off of him. You’ve been staring at that brunet boy the whole time we were dancing. It’s obvious you like him, so my advice is go get him.”

It was true, Newt hadn’t been able to look anywhere else for half an hour. But he probably wasn’t the only one. Both men were incredibly hot – although nothing could ever compare to Thomas – and they went together perfectly. Their dancing was hypnotizing, falling perfectly in rhythm, in unison with the mood of the music, attracting every eye in the room. The cameras had been filming them non-stop for fifteen minutes now, and although it hurt Newt to see how much fun they were having together, he couldn’t tear his eyes off them.

“Look,” the girl continued, “I came here because my boyfriend drags me here every year. But I’m always dancing alone because he only wants to go to this party so that he can hit on every girl he finds and dance with them without feeling too guilty about it. I do mind, but I know there’s nothing I can do about it and I’m unfortunate enough to love him, so I can’t let him go.” She sighed, looking at one spot in the room, where a tall blonde was whispering flirtatiously in another girl’s ear. “But if you think there’s even the slightest chance this guy cares about you, then you shouldn’t let it go over something stupid. He seems like a good guy, and you too, you deserve to be together and happy, so once again, go for it, before it’s too late!”

Newt turned his gaze to the couple once more. _Was Tommy really having fun?_ He did seem out of it. His smile was there, as wide as ever, but Newt couldn’t see from that far if it actually reached his eyes. His heart ached as he remembered how happy the brunet had seemed when he introduced Sean to him. Then he remembered Sonya’s text when he was in the bathroom. _You have every chance to get him if you do it right and give yourself a chance_.

“Thank you...” He trailed off, realizing he didn’t even know the girl’s name.

“Anna.” She smiled at him. “And you’re welcome. I hope it will work.” He smiled in return, walking off a few steps before turning back.

“Hey, Anna! You should go and have fun as well, you deserve better than him.”

“It’s alright.” She smiled sadly, like she was used to it. “I love him.”

 

 

Newt walked to the bathroom first, in an attempt to calm himself a bit, before walking to Tommy and… what? He didn’t even know what he should do once he walked to the couple. Break them up? Punch Sean? Kiss Thomas? He didn’t even have a plan. He thought about calling Sonya for advice when the door to the bathroom opened behind him, and Sean entered.

He smirked as he noticed Newt standing there. “Having fun with your date?” he asked teasingly. Newt then reconsidered his second option. Punching Sean did seem like a really good idea suddenly.

“Look Sean, I can see you and Tom- Thomas are having a really good time right now, and I know you haven’t seen each other in a long time so the bonding time seems– “

“Bonding time? More like banging time!” the other cut him off immediately. “You see, I’ve had eyes on Tom for years but he’s such a hopeless romantic that it’s hard to make him understand how much I want to fuck his little ass and… but I’m going off topic there. The thing is, I’m finally getting what I want now so I’ll have a good time with Tommy-boy tonight, whether you like it or not. I’m not even sorry for stealing you date!” He finished washing his hands and went to grab the towel.

“Listen, I was really looking forward to this night and I sincerely think we might have something together with Tommy, and I thought tonight could actually work for the two of us, so would you _please_ just let me go back to him for the end of the night?”

Sean scoffed. “Tom told me you were really cute but I’m sorry, I really can’t see it. The thing is, kid, that little Tommy has too cute of an ass for me to resist, so the answer is no. But don’t worry, I’m not a clingy guy, I’ll just sleep with him tonight and never call him back after that, so you can have him tomorrow morning if you want, we’ll probably do it at your place anyway.”

That’s when Newt lost it. He would gladly back off if Thomas found someone who made him happier than Newt ever could, he would even accept it if Thomas told him he didn’t want him at all and went away, he could understand that. But he would _not_ let anyone play with Thomas, just to break his heart and ditch him in the morning. So he did the one thing he could think of, with Sean standing in front of him before the sink. He opened the faucet and splashed a hand full of cold water on the other man’s pants, leaving a wet stain right in between his legs.

“ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS HERE???” Sean yelled at the blonde, looking at his pants in disbelief. “How old are you? Five?? You really think anyone is going to believe your– “

Before he could add anything, Newt splashed another wave on his pants, for good measure. “I might be five, but at least I’m not a bloody jerk. Now stay away from Tommy.” He said as he looked right into the other man’s eyes. He wiped his hands, then left the bathroom, Sean following him.

Thomas was in the middle of the room, talking with the Rat Man and one of the camera men, looking bored out of his mind. “Hey Newt!” he smiled as soon as he saw the blonde approaching, relief all over his face. He took a step forward, about to take his roommate’s hand, when he was interrupted by the manager. “Sean, finally! What took you so long over there?”

Newt smirked and spoke before Sean could start defending himself. He noticed the cameraman’s stare on the boy’s pants, hiding a laugh. “Sean had a little… issue over there, if you see what I mean.”

Rat Man looked in horror where his employee was pointing at. “I… It’s not…” Sean tried to explain himself, but the manager just whispered to some security guards nearby “take him away. This is a show of great importance, I don’t need that kind of pranks in it.” He made a disgusted face and took off, as security took Sean away.

Newt looked up to Thomas. He was shaking his head in disbelief and laughing silently. “I don’t even want to know what really happened over there.” He went to take the blonde’s hand, dragging them to an empty spot on the dancefloor. “But I’m grateful, he was getting really touchy.”

“You don’t like being touched?” Newt tried to take his hand away, but the brunet just squeezed it more.

“Not by everyone.” He smiled, stopping on a random spot. “What happened to your partner?”

“She…” Newt searched the crowed for Anna, turning until he noticed a bunch of red hair behind Thomas. She was laughing with another guy, making ridiculous 80s dance moves, and not caring at all. She noticed Newt staring and winked at him. “She took my advice and she’s having fun with someone else.” Newt smiled, focusing on Thomas again. “I’m all yours, tonight.”

He cringed at his own words. The fact that he had managed to gather some confidence did _not_ mean that he had lost his nervousness and ability to ruin everything with one sentence, apparently. But Thomas didn’t seem to mind and laughed it off.

“Good. Because I’m not finished teaching you how to dance properly. I still have an hour to make a decent dancer out of you.” The brunet grinned, grabbing the other’s hips. “And you still have a lot to learn, young padawan.”

“Oh, come on! I’m not this bad, am I?”

“No.” the brunet chuckled but continued guiding Newt’s moves anyway. And the blonde figured that it didn’t matter that he was still extremely nervous and sweaty, and able to do or say something extremely stupid anytime, because his back was pressed to Thomas’ chest, and that was worth every mistake he made that night.

 

 

They kept dancing for the rest of the night, both of them lost in the moment. Thomas would make him turn over and over and then keep their bodies close together. Newt was overwhelmed by his touch, he felt high, never letting his eyes off Thomas. His swinging hips, mesmerising eyes, long legs, tense muscles, every inch of Thomas’ body captivated him. He felt attracted to him like a magnet, but the brunet didn’t seem to mind how clingy he was. And Newt didn’t care. He didn’t care how sweaty he was, how nervous he felt, he didn’t listen to any of the scenarios his mind was making up of things that could go wrong. He didn’t care, because in that exact moment Thomas was looking into his eyes, touching him, and dancing with him and it all felt so _right_. Everything he could ever need was in those pupils, looking right back at him. Nothing could ever happen to him as long as those brown eyes never left his, because he was perfectly safe. His smile grew even bigger, matching Thomas’ grin, as he turned once more in the brunet’s arms, in perfect rhythm with the music.

 

“Alright everyone!” Rat Man shouted over the blaring speakers. “This one will be the last song, then we’ll start the countdown to a new year! So give me everything there is left in you, I want dynamism and joy, come on!”

Newt looked back at Thomas, but neither of them said anything, they kept on dancing, afraid to ruin the moment. Newt balanced his hips with more energy as a plan started forming in his head. _Tonight is the night_ , he thought again. _I’ll make my move, and either he likes me back or all of this is over._ But even that perspective couldn’t break the feeling of high at the intimacy they were having.

After another two minutes of dancing, during which Thomas just held Newt as close as possible, as if that was the last time he would ever be able to touch Newt. Which _was_ the case. It would soon be over, and Newt doubted he could ever find another opportunity to dance alone with his crush for five hours straight. But he pushed the thought away. Buried in the brunet’s arms, he could smell his scent and feel his breath on his neck, and the rest didn’t have any importance.

 

 

“Ten, Nine, Eight!” people started shouting, the countdown to a fake new year starting already. The two men broke apart, staring at each other’s eyes. Thomas whispered the numbers along while Newt gathered all his courage.

“Seven, Six, Five!” they both leaned in, just a little bit, but enough for their noses to be almost touching. They were out of breath, not believing what they were about to do. Thomas’ gaze into Newt’s eyes was so intense, as if he could read every detail of the blonde’s soul in by looking at them.

“Four, Three!” The seconds seemed to last hours as their grip on each other tightened. They couldn’t let go, the safety of each other’s embrace was overwhelming. Thomas took a sharp breath as he closed his eyes, leaning further until their noses touched.

“Two, One!” The lights went back on, blinding the participants as everyone separated. The boys blinked. “Alright everyone, thank you for coming today, we hope you had fun!” Rat Man shouted again. “The rest of the night, including the new year, will be filmed live from Times Square, you are all welcome to watch the show tonight. Don’t forget your belongings at the clock room.”

 

Newt’s heart sank. He was _so_ close, he actually believed it could have happened, and then everything was ruined once again. He took a step away from Thomas’ embrace, half cursing, half stuttering an apology. He couldn’t bring himself to look into Thomas’ eyes. The brunet was running a nervous hand in his dark hair, blushing madly, and staring at his feet.

“Well, t-thank you for… tonight N-Newt.” Thomas finally spoke up. “It… It was a great idea. A g-good Christmas p-present.”

“You’re welcome.” The blonde couldn’t bring himself to say anything more. The disappointment was overwhelming, and he felt like crying.

 

They walked silently to Thomas’ car, the brunet starting driving to their apartment right away. Newt looked out at the window, only half listening to the radio. He turned to the brunet when he felt his stare and gave him a half smile, to show him that everything was still fine between them, although Thomas seemed upset. Did Thomas actually want to kiss him, or was it just the spur of the moment? His mind was screaming at him that there was no way the brunet might have wanted to kiss him in that moment, because he was everything Newt was not, and he never _ever_ had any luck when it came to love. But Thomas did lean in when the countdown started. It was all so confusing, and Newt was absolutely exhausted. They had danced for five hours, then shared the most intense ten seconds of his life, all of it to end in a devastating “you’re good to go” yelled by a stupid manager who looked like a bloody rat. All the pressure fell down on his shoulder, mixed with disappointment and regret. He felt sick, and he still had his _actual_ New Year’s Party to attend to, where all his friends would be asking him how his “date” went. He definitely didn’t have the strength for that. What did he ever do wrong so that everything in his love life had to fail?

“Hey Newt?” he turned to be met by beautiful brown eyes, again. “We’re here.” Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t even notice that they had stopped driving. He gave a small nod and followed Thomas inside the building, to their apartment. He watched the brunet silently unlock the door and step inside the familiar four walls. He was about to open the door to his room, to jump on his bed and sulk until Sonya forced him to go “have fun”, when Thomas called his name.

He turned to look at the brunet, who was taking slow steps towards him, a shy smile on his lips. “So, we won’t celebrate New Year together because you’re going across the hall and I’m going with Minho, right?” he stopped two steps away from the blonde.

“I think we established that fact weeks ago, Einstein.” Newt frowned, having no clue as to where Thomas was heading.

“I was just thinking, maybe we should celebrate our own New Year together, before we part ways? You kinda owe me something here Blondie.” he stepped closer, now standing right in front of the blonde.

“What do you mean?”

“This.” He took Newt’s hand in his own and starting counting. “Five, Four, Three.” He leaned in and this time Newt closed his eyes, unable to stand the intense brown eyes staring at him. “Two, One.” And just like that, they were kissing. Thomas’ lips were caressing his own with such gentleness, yet impatience. Newt was kissing back with the same force, letting out all his frustration into the kiss. _They were kissing. He was kissing Thomas. He had had a crush on him for months but couldn’t do anything about it yet here they were, finally kissing._

Newt moved his hands up, bringing Thomas closer. One of his hands grabbed his cheek while he ran his fingers in the brunet’s hair with the other. He made a small pleased sound when Thomas gripped his hips and started tracing small patterns under his shirt. The brunet chuckled at the sound, which made them broke apart. But Newt shook his head silently, a pleading look in his eyes, and they were back to kissing. This time, Thomas took full advantage out of it, and forced his tongue into the blonde’s mouth. He was exploring every inch of it and Newt felt like he was in heaven. That moment he had dreamed of for so long had somehow happened, and it felt all too real. Thomas firm touch on his hips, the feeling of his thumbs caressing the skin under his shirt with such gentleness, his lips pressing onto his while his tongue ran all over his mouth, decisive yet delicate about it. It was all too much, Newt felt like he was about to explode, either from happiness or lack of air, he couldn’t be sure, but he had to break apart.

“Happy New Year, lizard.” Thomas breathed. His smile was so wide that Newt couldn’t resist the urge to trace it with his fingers, making the brunet shiver under the touch.

“How is this even real?” he whispered, his mind still refusing to process what was going on.

“I think that’s what happens when you bottle up feelings for too long.” Thomas answered, chuckling at Newt’s bewilderment. His eyes traced every inch of Newt’s face. From this close, he could make out every little mole on his cheeks, every spark in his brown eyes, which radiated so much happiness, every single perfect imperfection of his adorable face. He felt so lucky to finally be holding that blonde angel in his arms, to finally be kissing him.

“I’ve had a crush on you for so long, ever since that first night we spent together as roommates, a week after you moved in. That’s _a lot_ of feelings bottled up.” Newt confessed.

“I’ve liked you ever since I saw you with your friends as the coffee shop, on the first day.”

“Love at first sight, then?”

Thomas nodded. “At _very_ first sight. I think I win.”

“You definitely do.”

“God, I want to kiss you again.” Thomas suddenly said, unable to keep up with the tension anymore.

Newt nodded, leaning in. “Three, Two, One.” And he pressed his lips on the brunet’s, getting lost once again with the feeling he had craved for so long, although apparently not as long as Thomas himself.

Thomas soon broke the kiss. “You don’t have to count every time we kiss, you know?”

Newt laughed, too happy to care. “Three,” he said between giggles, “Two, O–“ He was cut off by Thomas’ lips once again on his own, colliding on his with a small grunt.

“Cheater” the blonde smiled against the kiss. Thomas just shrugged, too busy kissing his Newt to answer.

 

The blonde thought about what Teresa had said long ago, that he always took his chance much too late and then complained he was always unlucky with love. But after tonight no one could ever say he got unlucky this time. It probably got longer than what it could have, but all that mattered was that he was finally in Thomas’ arms, kissing his lips like no tomorrow. And Newt would never ask for more, he got exactly what he always wanted, which was a perfect way to start a New Year.

**Author's Note:**

> If the plot seems familiar to anyone, it's taken from Friends (TV show) S06EP10, the one where Monica and Ross have this weird dance routine on a New Year's party. The romantic story line of Janine and Joey inspired me, even though I, of course changed the characters traits and a little bit of the plot to make it more "serious".  
> I really hope you enjoyed the Friends vibe of this one, even though it's a long one!


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